Minor Minutes, Major Shots

John Paxson had showered and dressed and was on his way out thedoor of the visitors' locker room at the America West Arena shortlyafter Game 2 of this year's championship series when a camera crewcaught up with him. Moments later a knot of reporters had crowdedaround him, and Paxson stood near the door and patiently answeredquestions, his plans for a quick escape having been foiled. It's notthat Paxson was avoiding the press; it's just that he has come tomake a habit out of arriving, getting the job done efficiently andslipping away quietly.His Game 2 performance was a perfect example of what coach PhilJackson has come to ask of the 6 ft. 2 in. guard. He played only 12minutes and made two just field goals, but they were crucial minutesand clutch baskets in the Bulls' 111-108 win. ''That's typical Pax,''says Michael Jordan. ''He has a knack of hitting that shot thatbreaks the other team's back.''None was more backbreaking than Paxson's three-pointer with 3.9seconds remaining in Game 6, which helped clinch the Bulls' thirdstraight title.In past years Paxson, 32, was more than a spot player. Last seasonhe was Jordan's partner in the backcourt, averaging 24.6 minutes and7.0 points. However, off-season surgery on his left knee -- he alsomissed 22 games after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on the sameknee in February -- and the emergence of B.J. Armstrong combined toforce Paxson to the bench for most of this season. His playing timefell to 17.5 minutes per game and his scoring average to 4.2 points,and he had some difficulty adjusting to life as a substitute.''Some guys are good at coming off the bench with instant offense,but I'm not that type; I'm too old and too slow,'' says Paxson with asmile. ''But I slowly started to get the hang of it.''Three NBA titles are proof of that. ''One reason we've been ableto do what we've done is that not only do we all believe inourselves, but we also have confidence in each other,'' Paxson says.''We play well together because every player on this team hascomplete faith that every other player will do his job well, nomatter how big or small that job is.''